Improvement in sewinq-machine s



O. IRWIN.

SEWING MACHINE. v

Patented Jan. 22, 1861.

NHED -TATES PATENT UFFICE.

CHARLES Inwrn, on BUFFALO, new YORK.

IMPROVEMENT 5N SEWING- MACHENES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. anew, dated January 22, 1861..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES IRWIN, of the city of Buffalo, in the couutyof Erie and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sewing-Machines;

and'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the acoompanyingdrawings, and to the letters and marks thereon.

My improvement relates to that class ofsewing-machines wherein the straight needle and a shuttle are used. In such machines, particularly when a fine needle is employed, the point of the needle is apt to come in contact with the'shuttleand be broken. The

thread of the needle, also, isliable. to be out.

of place, not presenting a perfectly and well shaped loop, and allowing of the skipping of the stitches.

Now, my invention has for its object insur-v ing the needle from being broken by contact; with the shuttle,and the forming of a perfect and well-developed loop; and my invention.

consists in guidi'ng'and protecting theneedle and its thread by-thefiactiou of a springattached to the plate through which theneedle plays, and of an"-'adj u'stable arm zon"; the front end of the shuttle-carrier.

By the drawings formtng partot" this specification is shown a.sewing machinegof the char: acter above named, Figure 1 exhibiting aneutire machine with certain'portionsremoved, the better to show the interior parts "thereof Fig 2 being a view of the shuttle andthe shuttle; carrier in place; Fig. 3, a view of the shuttle and its carrier detached from the plates; Fig. 4, an enlarged view of the guiding-spring needle, the plates surrounding them, and Fig.

6 a view of the adjustable arm-detached.

In each of these figures where like parts are shown like letters are used toindica-te them.

Such parts of the machine represented by the drawings as specially relate to my invention will only be here described.

To one end ot'the shuttle-carrier a, I attach an arm, b, by av screw, 0, so that its end near the point of the shuttle (1 may be raised'or lowered, and thus adjusted to the position desired, for guiding the needlee, and preventing its point from coming in contact with the shuttle on its downward movement. This arm b also will act as a guide to the needle while it is down and while the loop is being formed, and thus, in connection with the spring f, will steady the needle and its thread while the shuttle is passing through the loop. The

spring. f is fitted in a dovetail groove in the back side of the needles throat in the plate 9', and, as isshown clearly by Fig. 4 of the drawin gs, eiitends downward, so as by its face 'to guide and direct the needle. The tendency of this spring is to press the needle toward the. shuttle as .itpasses to its lowest point, and. anydegree of pressure of the spring too great the direction of the shuttle being met by the 'arm I), the needle necessarilyis fully controlled and directed by the jointaction of the spring and the arm. Usually the thread of the needle forming the loop is lost behind the "needlein the space occupied by this spring f -=i 'n my machine, and often causes skipping ot' .;the stitches. This spring, then, prevents this {skipping and insures the forming-of a perfect loop. If this spring should press a fine needle too near the point of the shuttle, so that it would be struck by the shuttle were not the its thread, as herein set forth.

0. IRWIN.

Witnesses:

G. W. WIPPORT, JNo. J. SLoTE. 

